GM WhtKnt's Into the Borderlands, Table 1 (Inactive)

Game Master WhtKnt

Theo exchanges information with the Bertelus, deciding on a time for the two to meet once more before Theo's group departs for the caves again. Likely a formality, given Attero's determination, but Theo will feel better being able to give the man a clear answer.

The two bid each other farewell and part ways.

As Theo makes his way towards the tavern, he thinks back to what Bertelus told him about the caves. "I have heard that the caves are extensive, with much evil, and a dedicated temple of evil within."

All Theo's talk of peaceable resolutions, only for the core of the issue to be profane magics. Oh, the laugh Attero will have at Theo's expense. A well-earned laugh. Lost in his frustration, Theo begins to mumble under his breath.

"Multiple divine-touched are drawn to purge a single area, and this doesn't strike you as providence? No, of course not. There's always a better way or a more clever answer, and Theo always knows what it is." Per usual, he has looked straight over Mystra's signs from atop the pedestal of his own arrogance. And the complete lack of confidence he's proven to have in his mistress; believing she would lead him into mindless bloodshed.

Theo is properly seething and is already half-way to his destination. He needs to regain his composure. He attempts to refocus his energy on something productive. While disheartening, this new information is actionable. He wracks his memory for clues to the identities of any profane deities in play. He walks the caves in his mind, searching for signs of worship he may have overlooked: shrines, idols, sigils, sacrifices, etc...

Once satisfied with his mental tour, Theo moves on to the Orcs and Goblins themselves. To his knowledge, no one had inspected the corpses closely. But everyone got a better look than they cared for at Bossman and his consorts. Theo tries to recall any religious tattoos or signs of ritualistic harm.

Mind palace, I guess: 1d20 ⇒ 17

I have no idea what ability roll fits recalling visual memories. I'll leave mods to you, GM.

Religion (if he remembers anything): 1d20 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 3 = 9

.

Upon rejoining his group at the tavern, Theo relays the offer they have been made.

Tl;dr -- Clear the magic fortress we heard about when we first got here. We get 500 gold and, maybe, gain access to a legendary wizard's spellbook.

"Truth be told, that sounds like a nice change of pace, and an interesting adventure, Theo. Plus, you're down a Spellbook, if I'm remembering correctly? Maybe this is just what you need!" Ore says growing more excited at the prospect as he works through the idea.

Plus, there was bound to be less moral ambiguity recovering an ancient book than there was fighting these sometimes-surrendering Orcs. Not that Ore doubted he'd come upon a sufficient moral argument eventually, but it was clear he hadn't hit upon one yet..

"So you're saying that someone is paying us to get a spell book that we could and some spells to our own? Let me finish this food and I will go grab my gear."
Ya'Bo starts to to eat his food with gusto.

"I admire your dedication to the craft, Ya'Bo. And your concern for my personal goings-on is touching, Ore." Theo says, gesturing at each of his two friends respectively. "But - ironically - I must be the one to rain on this parade."

"We assured Brother Attero that this was to be a short respite. He is motivated by divine purpose and, given this news about a temple of evil within the caves, it seems he isn't the only one. The wicked taint all they touch, including the Weave. Zealots of today take priority over profane wizards of the past."

This extended break was just to let Ya'Bo and my self make another attempt at regaining a spellbook spell. Attero was nice enough to relent when he wasn't extra thrilled. As such, it'd be cool if we could keep this trip confined to what was discussed before leaving the caves; just a long weekend in town. Besides, the fact that these caves will take more than a week to clear has me seriously interested. They are clearly much larger than I initially thought.

Theo pulls ink, parchment, and quill from his pouch and takes a seat across from Ya'Bo at the table. "If you are itching for new magic, I think we may be close to recreating the formula needed to cast Find Familiar." Theo starts making adjustments to his notes; sharpening the edge of a half-finished rune, crossing out and rewording an Elvish incantation. "We know the mundane pieces required, we just need to work out the more nuanced bits of Arcane Theory behind this particular spell."

Arcana: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

OMG. Ya'Bo, please save me :(

"But, But it's gold to get a spell book, a Speelll Boook. With gold on top of it. But I guess you are right. It's not like the book is going anywhere. And there might be a goblin wizard or something that could have a book in the caves."

Talking it over with Theo about the spell formula and how the spell works
Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

"I think you burn the scroll to make it work."

Sorry man, I guess it was not meant to be.

Talking it over with Theo about the spell formula and how the spell works

"I think you burn the scroll to make it work."

Sorry man, I guess it was not meant to be.

"Oh, yes. That must be what the brass brazier is for. Astute observation, sir." Theo nods in agreement.

Thanks for humoring me, Ya'Bo. Here's hoping GM lets us slide with a misunderstanding of the components. A 3 and a Nat 1. We'll be lucky if our doodles don't summon a Beholder. Then again...that would make me look wwwaaayyy less stupid for taking Deep Speech over any other language.

Good news, Attero. I baked a killswitch into this little minigame when I pitched it to GM. So, unless he set the DCs at 0, these should be the last checks I can make for Find Familiar. The only spell I was particularly motivated to retrieve.

No, the DCs were pretty low, but not THAT low. Sorry.

So, with the departure of Neil, back into the trenches or a change of pace?

I am good ether way

I'm pro Spellbook-hunting. Add I said in character, the removal of the morality impediment might be a nice change of pace.

I was initially against the switch solely because Attero seemed set on clearing the caves. Changing-up the gameplan after we've already returned to town feels like a bait-and=switch. However, hearing about this "temple of evil" actually gives Theo a serious RP reason to share in Attero's zeal.

"The clergy [of Mystra] actively seek out sources of old magic, often from tombs, dangerous ruins--even liches. They consider it more crucial to know the precise location of artifacts and items of magical power than to possess them, but wherever possible, they work to wrest control of such things from the aggressively evil, the irresponsible, and the unsound of mind." - Random wiki page

Both of these quests are right up Theo's alley, but only one involves an active threat. It seems like the caves would be his top priority. But I'll leave my vote up to Attero. He was the only one hesitant about this long-term break. The one I specifically requested.

knock knock

Theo wakes early the following day, finishing his daily studies just before sun-up. After a light breakfast, he leaves to inform Bertelus that the group has accepted his offer.

With the message passed along, Theo decides to kill time with some light sight-seeing, making sure to stay within eyeshot of the main gate so that he can see when his comrades are ready to leave.

Let's do this thing

After breakfast, the group sets out to find the mysterious Quasqueton. The forest around the Keep proves nearly impenetrable and you need to hack your way through in several instances, but you do make headway (albeit taking some time). The directions provided by Berus appear spot-on, as you eventually spot the outline of a tower above the tree tops.

It is early evening after a full day of travel when you finally break the cover of the forest into a large clearing several hundred yards wide. Ahead is a hillock that rises about 15 feet above the level of the forest. Atop the hillock is a lone tower. The setting sun casts long shadows.

The tower is 55 feet tall with a circular base 35 feet in diameter. The tower is constructed of large black stone blocks with a base that is wider than the upper parts. The peaked roof is constructed of wood timbers, but many of these have collapsed exposing the upper levels to the elements. A tangle of brambles surrounds the tower. Beneath the tower and slightly to the east is a dark opening into the cliff-face.

Let's just say that you picked him up to replace Neil at the Stretching Goat. It's easiest that way. Fluffy, welcome aboard!

After about an hour, the rest of the group begins to cluster at the gate. Seeing the last of the group arrive, out the window of a local bookshop, Theo makes his final selections and goes to join them.

@GM - Sorry for putting random stores in your world without asking. I'm just looking for some children's books in Common to help Theo learn new languages if that's cool.

As he makes his way down the street, towards the group, he notices one or more of them chatting with someone Theo can't recognize from a distance. However, when the stranger's face comes into focus, the details quickly jog Theo's memory.

Theo met this Dwarf in passing the previous evening; he'd joined the group for drinks. A passionate sort, as Theo recalls, even by stout-folk standards. Though, it's entirely possible more than a little ale was shared before Theo joined in. Everyone was flush with coin and in need of a good break. It's hard to imagine Ore would have let anyone sit with an empty mug for long.

Theo greets the group and re-introduces himself to the Dwarf.

A few moments of polite conversation later and Theo is up to speed. This is the Druidic Dwarf, Dirk. Apparently, talk of the group's impending trek came up after Theo had turned in. It soon became clear to everyone that Dirk's experience with the wilds and its inhabitants could only help on their journey, especially with the current destination almost certainly having been reclaimed by those very wilds.

Theo can offer no protest. The group's thoughts were sound and Dirk seems a good sort. The Elfkin extends his hand in a formal welcome.

~~

It is early evening after a full day of travel when you finally break the cover of the forest into a large clearing several hundred yards wide. Ahead is a hillock that rises about 15 feet above the level of the forest. Atop the hillock is a lone tower. The setting sun casts long shadows.

The tower is 55 feet tall with a circular base 35 feet in diameter. The tower is constructed of large black stone blocks with a base that is wider than the upper parts. The peaked roof is constructed of wood timbers, but many of these have collapsed exposing the upper levels to the elements. A tangle of brambles surrounds the tower. Beneath the tower and slightly to the east is a dark opening into the cliff-face.

As the canopy of trees finally gives way, Theo finds himself robbed of the sun's warmth once more by the towering obelisk before him. He'd hoped time had been less kind to the tower.

"If the outward structure is this sound, any traps, mundane or otherwise, have likely faired even better. It'll be a long trek up." he thinks aloud to himself.

Hearing himself mention the soundness of the tower's structure draws his attention to its most glaring flaw, the caved-in portions of roofing. For some reason, these openings gnaw at the back of his mind. More so than the cave, or even the front door, Theo is certain that this is their path forward, but he can't figure out why. He stands still for several seconds, his head tilted slightly, as he squints towards the broken roof in confusion.

"Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt", Theo waves an insect out of his face and instantly the spell is broken. He turns on the spot to face his newest companion. "Tell me, Dirk.", the Elfkin inquires with a smug, self-satisfied grin. "Have you ever come across the larger arachnids that make their homes in the hills and forests?"

I'm sure you guys will want to explore the cave. But I'd still advocate a top-down approach to the tower. A tower, by its design, wants intruders to have to work their way up to whatever is being protected at the upper levels. So...let's not bend to the whims of a (hopefully) inanimate object.

Obviously, GM gets say on if Dirk even has the form we'd need. But I don't think giant spiders, or giant wolf-spiders, are super rare.

I would say that it is entirely within the realm of possibility that Dirk has run across giant spiders, before.

Looking at the top of the tower
"Well I have a spell to save me if I fall but not one to help me or anyone else make the climb. This could be a problem. Did anyone think of bringing some climbing gear?"

Looking at the top of the tower

"Well I have a spell to save me if I fall but not one to help me or anyone else make the climb. This could be a problem. Did anyone think of bringing some climbing gear?"

"I was just asking our new friend about that, Ya'Bo. I believe he has everything we need to safely scale the tower if that is the approach we decide on."

As a giant spider, Dirk could easily haul us up on a line of webbing. We could even set up a web net at the base of the tower for extra safety.

The only hiccup I can see is that Dirk might be too big as a giant spider (large) to get around the tower itself. He's gonna be something like 10ft across. So, the tower is only 5 spiders across. It's hard to imagine the hallways accommodating 1 spider, let alone 1 spider + 3 medium creatures. If he winds up being too large, he'd have burned half his transformations for the day getting us inside. Maybe Whiskers can scout out the size of the hallways.

It might be better to just take the front door. We could also try the medium-sized Giant Wolf Spider. But it doesn't spin webs, so that would make trecking everyone up the wall extra tedious.

"ERR, what exactly is wrong with the door, again?" Ore asks, tentatively. From the look on his face, the idea of scaling the wall on a spider-rope is more than a little offputting.

Do spiders get unlimited silk/rope? I only see mention of the web glob attack?

If you want to go the giant spider route, I will permit him to drop a web strand for the others to ride/climb.

"ERR, what exactly is wrong with the door, again?" Ore asks, tentatively. From the look on his face, the idea of scaling the wall on a spider-rope is more than a little offputting.

"Nothing whatsoever, to my knowledge. It could be locked, as doors are often wont to be. But, given the tower's overall condition, I'd assume the entrance is functional." Theo gives Ore a mischievous half-smile. He's not sure if it's the raw magic of this place or the pleasant company of the group's newest friend but Theo finds himself in high-spirits.

"It's not the door, it's the tower itself.", Theo says as he begins pacing a half-circle at the base of the tower. Careful not to stray to close, and raising his voice slightly when appropriate, Theo gives the tower a once over as he explains his logic.

"As far as I know, this place was last used as a stronghold. Thus, the goal of the structure, and of any defenses therein, is to thwart a bottom-up assault. And, of course, one usually puts any valuables on the far side of said defenses. Had this been a prison, built to prevent escape from the top-down, then I would be all for a more routine approach."

Do spiders get unlimited silk/rope? I only see mention of the web glob attack?

I know GM already approved the idea but, for future reference, the flavor text has this to say.

"To snare its prey, a giant spider spins elaborate webs or shoots sticky strands of webbing from its abdomen."

We only need 50 ft of the stuff if we want him to pull us up from the top, and substantially less if we just want to hold on while he climbs up. With as large as a car-sized spider's spinnerette would have to be, there's no way he couldn't spin a glob into a line strong enough to hold us. A length of spider silk as thick as a pencil would be able to support a full-grown whale.

"Err, if you say so," Ore replies hesitantly. For some reason the idea of not using a perfectly good door is bothering him more than he'd have thought it would.

"Who's to say this tower person didn't think of that, like you did? Maybe there's something to be said for having one's feet on the ground? But hey, you're the wizardly folks. Whatever you think is safest, I'll follow."

"But I get to pick out dinner tonight," he added quickly, negotiating himself a win.

"That's the thing with spell casters Ore, they seem to think that because they have these powers at their control that the mundane folk can't figure things out and get around simple defenses.
My only problem is what happens if we have to fight our way into the tower window. All of us holding on to a thread, someone is going to get hurt. And since I am not mundane, it won't be me."
And gives a wink at Ore.

"I was just asking our new friend about that, Ya'Bo. I believe he has everything we need to safely scale the tower if that is the approach we decide on."

''Appreciate the vote of confidence, Theo. I believe getting us up the tower should be no unreasonable task.''Dirk says as he transforms into said giant spider.

Dirk the giant spider easily climbs the wall of the tower and you all unload into a small round room roughly 30-feet in diameter. The top of the tower is about 25 feet in diameter with a peaked wooden roof. The roof has collapsed in places and has gaping holes due to general neglect and disrepair. Patchy natural light bathes this otherwise glooming abode. The floor is comprised of rotting wooden timbers, with three large holes. A large metal bell once mounted above, is upside-down and pushed against a wall.

Against another wall is a large pile of rubble, atop which sits an odd creature with a bird-like lower body, a scaly humanoid upper body, feathery wings, and the head of a red dragon! It wields a wooden club in one hand, screeches at the intrusion, and moves to attack!

We'll go theater of the mind for this encounter, as I don't have a map.

INITIATIVE
Ore
Creature
YaBo/Morgan
Dirk
Theo
Aterro

Ore is up!

Mace attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Damage, magical bludgeoning: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

"Okay new Mace, time to see how you work!" Ore says, pulling the weapon from the loop on his hip and charging forward.

Ore swings the weapon in a broad arc, slamming it home! The creature squawks in pain, a decidedly unique sound that sounds almost like the high-pitched screech of a bird overlaying the pained scream of a human. But though it is battered, it does not go down.

Dirk is up!

Creature: -11 hp

Web: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Dirk the Giant Spider launches webbing at the creature.
I can't talk in animal form so i'm just going for an attack.

Dirk's webbing covers the creature from head to clawed feet. It inhales deeply and breathes a gout of fire that dissolves the webbing!

The party is up!

Moving off to a side to get a clear shot. Ya'bo gets a twig from his spell pouch.

"Now feel the power of my arcane might."
Moving his hands in a articulated way. A beam of blue bolts of energy forms a bridge between Ya'bo and the creature.

Witch Bolt attack(range touch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Lighting Damage: 1d12 ⇒ 11

"So this was the easy way, then?" Ore quips, panting as he ducks under the lightning bolt stringing from the creature back to Ya'Bo's outstretched hand.

With a grunt, Ore takes another whack at the monster and follows up with a high kick, hoping to drop it before it can breath fire at him instead of Dirk's web...
Mace Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
magic bludgeoning: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Unarmed Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
bludgeoning: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

"So this was the easy way, then?" Ore quips

"Of course! With a fighter as capable as you at our side, a battle is always the easy way, Ore. Simply climbing the stairs would take more effort than you'll exert slaying such a loathsome vermin.", Theo's attempt to reassure himself is about as effective as it is subtle. A few pitfalls or poison dart traps were probably preferable to coming face to face with a...Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Ya'll like that silky smooth transition into a skill check? Yeah, ya do.

Theo pulls himself back to the present, refocusing on the task at hand. Using the groups' newest addition for inspiration, Theo attempts to create a distraction for the fighters to capitalize on. He conjures the skittering footfalls of a giant arachnid scaling the outside of the tower directly behind the creature (Minor Illusion).

With the combined assault of Ore and Ya'Bo, the creature succumbs quickly, sinking to the ground unmoving. Closer inspection reveals that the creature is wearing a mask and scaled cloak. Beneath the mask and cloak, she looks considerably more like a bird with a woman's upper torso.

Ore pokes at the thing and pushed aside its cloak. Strange.

"Don't suppose we'll be asking her any questions, then. What is this lady, my learned friends?"

"Well let me take a look here. Hmmmm, bird body with a humans upper torso of the female gender. It can only be...."
Knowledge Arcana: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 or +2 if Nature
"A Were-chicken, and lucky for us. We caught it in mid transformation. A deadly adversary indeed.
You were quite wise Theo to have us scale the side of the tower first, or this Were-chicken would have been able to turn the tables om us so easily. Lets take a look and see what treasures this creature could be hiding, can't wait to get my hands on that spell book."

If you are searching the room, please provide me with Perception (Wisdom) checks.

Perception!: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

And if there is time, he will do the detect magic ritual

Beneath the rubble, you find three leather sacks. Inside are an assortment of coins and goods, including 544 cp, 344 sp, 21 ep, 124 gp, 4 pp, seven tiger eyes, three bloodstones, a piece of amber with an oak leaf inside it, a bent silver tiara and a metal potion flask with an azurite stopper. Then Ya'Bo spies it, a tiny soot-covered figurine of a raven.

Ya'Bo begins his detect magic ritual, but before he can finish it, two winged figures come into the room through the holes in the floor! They look like small draconic humanoids with dragon-like wings! Suddenly, two more appear at the window! One of them shouts something!

Battle is joined!

Ore and Ya'Bo are up!

INITIATIVE
Ore
Ya'Bo
Creature 1
Attero
Morgan
Creature 2
Creature 3
Theo
Creature 4

Ya'bo Casts mage armor upon himself, then looks at the creatures with interest.
Would knowledge Arcana help ID them?

Speaking in Draconic

Ugh, procrastination bites me again. Knew I should have posted this last night. But no, "iM toO tiReD tO pRoOf ReAd iT".

Anyway...it should fit within the timeframe of Ya'Bo's inspection, before the creatures attacked, if that's an acceptable retcon. Or GM can just ignore it, it's hardly game-changing.

---

Deciding to attempt another assessment of the creature, now that he was no longer in mortal peril and could clearly see the beast's true form, Theo slowly moved the illuminated head of his staff up and down the scaly corpse.

The elfkin spent a solid 2 minutes going over the body. He dipped his fingers in a pool of the bird-thing's blood and then rubbed the soiled digits together under his nose, simultaneously testing the fluid's viscosity and odor. Satisfied with his first test, Theo moved on to the feathers. He put a fistful full of down to the same olfactory assessment as the blood. Then he held a single feather up to the light of his staff and twirled it this way and that between his fingers, subtly adjusting the light's color and brightness as he did so.

As he worked, he questioned Ya'Bo on the gnome's initial findings.

"Well let me take a look here. Hmmmm, bird body with a humans upper torso of the female gender. It can only be [b]"A Were-chicken, and lucky for us. We caught it in mid transformation. A deadly adversary indeed.

"Lycanthropy? That's a scary thought." Theo gave the corpse a concerned look before returning to his feather and his questions.

"Can most lycans cast spells mid-transformation? I don't know many chickens that breathe fire."

As the data points began to piece together in his mind, Theo could tell...

Nature: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

he wasn't convinced of Ya'Bo's theory.

Dirk's Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

REVISED INITIATIVE
Ore
Ya'Bo
Creature 1
Attero
Dirk
Morgan
Creature 2
Creature 3
Theo
Creature 4

Ya'Bo, they look for all the world like kobolds that have sprouted wings.

Ore, you're up!

Ore stays on his toes, and careful for any more surprises, and advance to get close to the threat!

spend ki for dodge, move up towards the threats, ready action to attack any that come into range, or if I'm close enough, just attack.

Ore moves up and swings at the creature, but the attack comes up just short. The creature glares at the daring rogue and swoops in for an attack with a dagger! It manages to get a solid hit on Ore! (Ore is hit for 9 points of damage!)

By my notes, that puts Ore down, though I could be wrong.

Attero and Dirk are up!

Disadvantage on Attacking Ore: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

Unfortunately, that's still a hit, so we'll keep the 9 damage.

Aterro and Dirk are up!

Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Piercing Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Dirk (still in Giant Spider form) goes in for a close range attack on the closest enemy.

As Theo noted to me in a message, it appears that Aterro and Morgan have moved on, and so shall we. Dirk bites at one of the flying creatures but misses.

The second creature shrieks and stabs at Morgan with a dagger, missing by a country mile. The one that Dirk attacked returns the favor, hitting the spider for 9 points of damage!

Theo is up!